1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of network data processing systems. More particularly, one embodiment of the invention relates to an architecture and method for analyzing user location and associated activity and responsively providing mobile device updates. Additionally, one embodiment of the invention relates to an architecture and method for determining an event which a user is attending based on location, date and time data. Finally, one embodiment of the invention relates to a location-based reminder system.
2. Description of Related Art
Current location-based technologies such as GPS (Global Positioning System) allow the location of a mobile device to be precisely tracked and used in a variety of applications. By way of example, location data generated by GPS-enabled mobile devices may be used by mapping programs which identify the current location of the mobile device on a map. In addition, some mobile devices may be configured to share the current location of a user with the user's “friends,” either by publishing the user's current location to a Website or by dynamically transmitting the user's current location to other mobile devices. For example, the Loopt® application for the iPhone® allows a user to identify a set of “friends” to receive continuous updates of the user's current location within a map-based graphical user interface.
However, current location-based systems do not compile location data for a user over time to determine the user's behavior patterns while at different locations. Additionally, current location-based system do not combine location data with the current date and time to determine the context in which the user is at a particular location. Such information would be useful, for example, to provide targeted content to the end user while at different locations on specific dates and times and/or to provide targeted content based on the anticipated daily or weekly schedule of the end user.